How do we worship today?

Today my message is “How do we worship today?”

Last week we looked at “What is Worship” in both the Old and New Testament.

I left you with a question: “What do you think is God’s definition of Worship?”

Anyone care to share their thoughts?

I found a Scripture that I feel gives us a definition of worship by God.

Jesus responds to a question in Mark 12:28-31 NIV

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

How better to worship our God than to love God with our everything and to do His will by loving all people whom He created.

Today we are looking at “how we worship now”. I recently saw this definition in a devotional and really liked it, as it is simple and yet it is profound.

“Centering our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on the Lord.” ¹

Colossians 3:16-17 NIV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Ephesians 5:19-21 NIV

19 speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,

20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Today, we worship together here in this church building. We sing, pray, read God’s Word and fellowship together. We also have Communion, Baptisms, Baby dedications, Memberships & Potlucks.

In this church we have several music teams that lead us into worship through song. Their styles are different, which gives us opportunity to come into God’s presence with a variety of songs.

We pray together every Sunday! Right now, we are trying out different ways to do prayer, much like the variety in the music. Ivan shared another way to understand prayer today with his song “The Royal Telephone”.

We read and study God’s Word, the Bible. It comes in many translations so that all people will understand and be drawn to read the Bible. Again, variety in action!

God created a wonderful world full of variety, including all of us. When we gather together for fellowship, we see the variety God provided in each individual and are in awe of how wonderfully we are made. When we gather together, we are worshipping God in obedience.

Obedience is why we take Communion and Baptism so seriously. Still, it is a wonderful way to worship God and to remember all that God did to provide a relationship with Him.

Worship is really doing anything where God is remembered, praised, loved and revered.

Taking a walk and listening to the sounds of the world and thinking of the awesome God who made it all. Watching little children play and discover the world around them as we realize just how amazingly we are designed. Worship is something we are to do daily as we walk this earth.

Worship is not simply a human activity on earth. In heaven, God’s whole creation – humans and Angels – praise and worship Him. ²

Rev. 7:9-12 NIV

9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”

True worship is believing in, following and sharing something, and in our case that is worshipping our God, the Lord Jesus Christ!

I want to end today with a challenge for you. Please jot this down and ask God to help you complete this by next Sunday.

Write out your own definition of worship! If you wouldn’t mind, please give me your definition so that I can share it next Sunday at the beginning of my message.